Start the Clocks, please…
224 comments February 20th, 2007
1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… 9… 10… 11… 12… 13… 14… 15… 16… 17… 18… 19… GOAL.
Gilberto’s strike remains the fastest in Champions League history, a mere 0.05 seconds ahead of Alessandro Del Piero’s ’97 predeccessor. I’ve even gone so far as to have a bet on him scoring the first goal tonight, though I couldn’t get odds on it being inside the first 30 seconds. Shame.
That was almost five years ago now, but that goal contains a hint towards our possible tactics tonight: that early goal forced PSV to come out and attack, leaving plenty of space on the break. Naturally, we were able to exploit this, and ran out 4-0 winners. In recent years we’ve lost that ability to go at teams early and kill them off within twenty minutes, but a goal in the first half-hour of the game would swing the tie hugely in our favour.
With Justin Hoyte picking up a slight hamstring injury, William Gallas or Johan Djourou will play at right-back. With Gallas looking so short on Saturday, I’m expecting the Swiss to start. Abou Diaby and Theo Walcott have been left at home in anticipation of Sunday’s Carling Cup Final.
Robin van Persie, who could be just six weeks away from a return, says we have to beware the counter-attack – though a possibly injury to Jefferson Farfan could do us a massive favour.
Congratulations to Jay Simpson who bagged the first hatrick at the Emirates Stadium in rather special circumstances last night.
It’s good to have the Champions League back. But if we lose, it won’t be. Let’s hope its another successful night in Eindhoven.
Ps. Allow me to point you in the direction of this excellent piece on Thierry Henry. You can read some of my own views in the comment section, but I may also be publishing my take on Henry sometime this week.
